Protected by a fine glass cabinet, the crew of a richly-ornamented miniature ship, (photo 2 above, automaton in the form of a ship, 1585, Augusta, silver, gilding, brass, oil paint, movement in iron, h. 67 cm, length 66 cm) designed to add decoration to the imperial table, seems to be suspended in time, as if for ever crystallized while performing their roles.

In the same way, a centaur ridden by the goddess Diana (photo 3 above, ) is immortalized with a profusion of silver at the instant at which she is preparing to shoot an arrow, while a gilded Minerva, seated on a horse-drawn chariot accompanied by satyrs and a monkey, enchants the spectator with her inquisitive smile, made even more enigmatic by her absolutely static pose (photo 4 below: attributed to Achilles Langenbucher (1579-ca. 1650), Automaton, so-called Triumphal Chariot with Minerva, ca. 1620, Augsburg, gilded copper alloy, silver, enamel, ebony, iron, tin).

But once we have launched the videos on the tablets fitted onto the seating near such automatons (photo 5 below, one of the 33 seating units, each of which has two tablets, which can be used along the Kunstkammer itinerary), we discover all the functions of these pieces and their hidden movements. By means of complex mechanisms inside its structure, the galleon can amuse guests with pleasant music, during which the crew on the decks begins to move in an orderly dance; at the same time, its cannons fire broadsides towards a diner, who, thus chosen, is required to empty his cup of wine.

In the same way, the silvery centaur can release an innocuous arrow from his bow, and the guest who receives it will have to pronounce a witty motto, suitable for the regal occasion. We discover that Minerva can move her eyes, while the horses rear, and her bizarre cohort of followers move rhythmically in time to the sound of a mechanical organ.

These are just some of the remarkable automatons that, from 1 March, can be admired at the Kunstkammer, the historical core of the collections at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (often abbreviated to KHM), the Historical Art Museum in Vienna, location of the priceless materials that once belonged to the Hapsburg dynasty. The Kunstkammer, which had been closed for 11 years, has been reopened with a completely new layout, supervised by the general manager Sabine Haag and the curator Franz Kirchweger. The exhibition design enhances the beauty of the individual pieces, and reveals their secrets by means of state-of-the-art technology and educational systems.

The event is of an importance that exceeds all local or regional connotations. Totally erroneous is the opinion of those who believe that the restoration of the 20 rooms presenting the Hapsburg treasures reflects a sort of nostalgic and anachronistic glorification of the like-named dynasty, at the heart of Austrian history for many centuries, right up until 1918. The project was made possible by the Republic of Austria, its taxpayers and its cultural institutions.

Wunderkammer, the marvels of the world

The reasons for this fallacy can be found in the nature and functions of the earliest museum collections, which were very different from the criteria applied in modern collections. While the basic principle of the Wunderkammer, or 'chamber of marvels,' was to create a sort of theatrum mundi, a miniature image of the creation and its extraordinary variety, beauty and eccentricity, reflecting the desire to classify knowledge in a proto-scientific way, it is also true that the principal function of this type of collection was that of creating a prestigious talking point for important visitors.

A glance at the ancient guest-books signed by visitors to the 'Kunst- e Wunderkammer' in the castle of Ambras in Innsbruck, also founded by a Hapsburg, Ferdinand II of Tyrol (1529-95) clears up any shadow of doubt that may remain. Of course, visitors to this type of sancta sanctorum were the crème de la crème of the day. In the 17th and 18th centuries, they included Montaigne, Christina of Sweden, and of course, the ubiquitous Goethe.

Another such exhibit is the legendary bezoar (photo 8 below, in gold, emeralds and rubies), to which were ascribed formidable curative properties, and the power to neutralize poisons. In actual fact, this fascinating stone with almost lunar appearance is nothing but a calcareous growth found in the stomachs of goats and llamas.

Rudolf II, a reluctant emperor

Rudolf II was probably the most complex personality amongst the emperors and archdukes that you meet in the Viennese Kunstkammer. His detractors had no problem in describing him as crazy, in part justified by his ancestry which had links, through two branches of his family, to Joanna the Mad of Castile. One thing is certain: he preferred spending his time cultivating the arts rather than politics. He was relatively untroubled by dynastic duties, limited to a supposed infatuation with a princess in the distant Grand Duchy of Moscow, a convenient method of walking away from the nuptial arrangements planned by his aged mother.

Given the situation, it is easy to understand why Rudolf's court, and the emperor's pages, preferred to ignore diplomatic relations and passed their time directing innocuous balls at the heads of illustrious guests, such as the prince of Transylvania, Stephan Bocskay, who would later declare war on the Hapsburgs.

Some of the objects at the Kunstkammer reflect the Hapsburgs' cultural heritage, that included the Germanic Holy Roman Empire: for example, the sculpture of the pelican feeding its chicks with its own blood, in reference to the figure of Christ (photo 16 below: Centrepiece in the form of a pelican, 1583, Ulm, gilded silver, partially painted).

Links with Flanders

The link between the Kunstkammer and Flanders began during the reign of Margaret, governess general of the Low Countries (1480-1530), when the earliest Hapsburg art collections began to develop in that area of Europe. When the Kunstkammer was reopened, a representative of Flanders said, "This collection cannot be considered merely from a local or regional viewpoint, because the objects at the Kunstkammer in Vienna are an expression of the whole world." This awareness will lead to a programme of loans, in which each year an important Flemish work of art will be presented in the Viennese museum. The rooms in which the Kunstkammer objects are exhibited today are not the same in which the Hapsburgs presented their collection. They are now in an eclectic building commissioned by Emperor Franz Josef in 1891, used for his own collection. The German studio HG Merz designed original solutions to suggest the magic of the original Kunstkammer in the 19th-century building.

Other Wunderkammer collections

Other Kunstkammer collections can be seen in their original locations. One such example is in Innsbruck, at the castle of Ambras (also managed by KHM). Another is at the fort of Forchtenstein, in Burgenland, with part of the Esterházy family's collections (another part can be seen at the National Gallery of Budapest); at Halle in Germany, there are the Francke Foundation collections, in attractive cabinets decorated according to the theme of the objects exhibited. The Green Vault of Dresden merits a visit. Hegel said that private property is an individual's mode of self-expression in objects, and this is certainly true of the Kunstkammer. The objects that belonged to the Hapsburgs offer a remarkable portrait of the passions and idiosyncrasies of the exponents of this dynasty. In this article, I have mentioned just a few of the 2,200 objects on display, and so I recommend a visit to Vienna to see them first-hand. Ideal for anyone who loves art, culture and history.

Alberto Gerosa

Useful information

Opening times Tuesday-Sunday, 10.00 a.m.-6.00 p.m. (open until 9.00 p.m. on Thursdays). Closed on Mondays. To visit the Kunstkammer, a ticket for a specific timeslot is required, in addition to the standard ticket for the other halls of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Further information at www.khm.at/timeslots.